Mark 1:9-13

9 At that time Jesus came from Nazareth in Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 10 Just as Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw heaven being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. 11 And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.”

12 At once the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness, 13 and he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and angels attended him.

-Mark 1:9-13

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Being a follower of Jesus means that you’re going to face temptation.  A lot of people think, I’m going to be a Christian and everything is going to be okay and I will never have to suffer or face discomfort ever again, and that’s just not true. 

Many Christians find their external circumstances to be even crazier after they follow Jesus because there is an enemy called Satan who seeks to destroy us.  But for the Christian, what is true is the internal peace that comes with our relationship with Christ.

That’s what’s happening here with Jesus.  Jesus just go baptized here which is an amazing spiritual experience.  Many of us just saw Chris Elson, Jason Ha, and Brian Lee get baptized and it was a super spiritually encouraging event.

But immediately after his baptism, Jesus faced temptation from Satan.  Our friends who just got baptized, they are going to face temptations, too, if it hasn’t already happened.  We are going to face temptations in the areas of sexual purity, academic integrity, honesty, and trusting God’s goodness to name a few.

Why would God allow us to have to face temptations?  Because when we are tempted, it is time for us to draw near to God and allow His strength and power to keep us from falling into temptation.  Times of temptation can actually help grow our relationship with Christ.

I use to be tempted by alcohol as a high school student.  Ironically, when I was underage I drank, but I’ve actually never drank alcohol as an adult.  That’s because when I became a Christian as a freshman in college I made a personal promise to God to keep away from alcohol.  It was hard at first and super duper tempting, but I learned to depend on God to help me through it.  This temptation I faced helped me to grow closer to Jesus.  He helped me to overcome it and it increased my faith.

What temptations are you facing today?  God wants to help you and grow closer to you in the process.  Will you let Him?